Scott Second South: How my floor became my family

February 11th, 2014 | Ian Richardson

When I first walked onto Evangel’s campus as a freshman, I had no idea I what living with a roommate was going to be like, let alone living on a floor where dozens of other guys are in such close proximity to one another. Pretty much all I did know was my room number.

Little did I know that this meant I would be on Scott 2nd South (S2S), a floor rich with a legacy of friendliness, openness and overall awesomeness.

I’m not a very outgoing guy, but from my very first day, the guys on my floor made it a point to drop by, say hi and become fast friends with me. I quickly bonded with the other freshmen, and I was also surprised at how open and accepting all of the returning guys on my floor were. Especially the seniors. By the end of the first week, I realized I had an army of 30-plus friends who instantly accepted me and were ready to get to know me better.

That’s what lies at the base of S2S: unity and acceptance. The people may change over the years, but the values remain the same. Whether we are all eating together in the dining hall, leaving our doors open as we study so others can come in and talk with us, cheering our intramural teams into the finals or praying together for one another’s needs, the men of S2S have a bond like nothing I’ve experienced anywhere else.

Every student who graduates from S2S signs the study room wall before he leaves, forever leaving his mark on the floor’s legacy.

S2S is also a floor that knows how to have a lot of fun. Throughout the year we have some awesome floor events — both planned and unplanned. Whether it’s a spontaneous movie night in someone’s room, a Super Mario Smash Bros. tournament, an impromptu late-night food run for crab rangoon, ultimate Frisbee on a sunny day or a game night with our sister floor, we guys are always ready to show up and have a good time together.

We have all different types of personalities on our floor, but it takes all of them to make S2S complete. Everybody fits in like a unique piece of the S2S puzzle. And each departing S2S-er gets to sign the wall in our floor’s study room, their name immortalized forever in the heritage of the floor.

Of course, I couldn’t mention floor heritage without giving a shout out to Hollywood, the Evangel groundskeeper who has been visiting the floor and hanging out with us S2S guys for the past 25 years. His humor, encouragement and spirit are just as much a part of our floor as the doors, windows and walls. What a guy.

So, while I’m sure there are lots of other good floors on campus, I’m pretty partial to S2S. But the great part is that this is only one of the dozens of floor communities at Evangel. Whatever floor you choose to live on during your time at Evangel, you’re bound to find that you, like me, have entered a unique brotherhood — or sisterhood — that will quickly become your family.

Ian Richardson

English Major | Class of 2015

Ian is a senior English major from Afton, Iowa. He lives in Scott Hall and writes for the Evangel University website and the Lance. Ian says the thing he loves most about Evangel is the sense of community.

About Evangel

Evangel is an accredited, liberal arts university with more than 100 academic programs on the cutting edge of today's professional fields. Our commitment to the integration of faith, learning and life attracts students from a wide variety of Christian denominational backgrounds who have a strong commitment to academics with a desire to combine their Christian faith with every aspect of their lives.